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Privacy NoticeWhen the sun’s out, we’re quick to slather on the sunscreen, but David Bateson’s story is a stark reminder that melanoma, a form of skin cancer, can strike even in unexpected places. David, blessed with a full mane of thick dark hair, never thought his scalp was at risk. But a persistent, bleeding bump on his head turned out to be more sinister than he imagined. “I thought I had just knocked my head and it was a scab,” David said, recalling the initial discovery of what seemed like a harmless lesion. “It was the size of a bubble wrap bubble and there was no pain. But it just wouldn’t heal.” Lisa, his wife and a practising nurse, insisted he seek medical advice. An initial treatment with steroid cream seemed effective, but his GP’s uncertainty led to a referral to a specialist. Following a biopsy, David endured the tense wait for results until one day, mid-work meeting, a call from his doctor indicated urgency.
He didn’t think much of the small, bleeding lump on the top of his head at first
(Image: David Bateson/Cover Images)
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“I wasn’t feeling worried up until that point,” the 48-year-old railway worker recalls. “When they said, ‘Get yourself here’, I guess I knew it was skin cancer. But then you start thinking, ‘What type is it? ‘ I knew the one that you don’t want is melanoma. And unfortunately, it was. I was obviously very anxious on that journey back. The nightmare started then.” Cancer Research UK has highlighted that melanoma, the UK’s fastest-growing cancer with approximately 17,500 new cases annually, is also alarmingly deadly with 2,341 deaths per year. However, UK charity Melanoma Focus is raising awareness about the preventability of the disease, noting 86% of cases could be avoided. David, who was diagnosed with melanoma in December 2019, had a procedure to excise the malignant lesion on his crown along with some adjacent skin and went through a skin graft from his leg. He also had lymph nodes removed from his neck for tests to detect any spread of the cancer. Fortunately, this initial surgery seemed successful, but David’s journey wasn’t over. Eight months after, he found a lump in his neck and shared, “I think around September or August 2020 I noticed one of my lymph nodes in my neck was like a frozen pea and didn’t go down.”
David discovered a lump in his neck that raised alarm bells too
(Image: David Bateson/Cover Images)
David explained his feelings during a concerning ultrasound appointment: “I had an ultrasound and I was chatting to the (sonographer), and asked what we were looking for. He said, ‘If the lymph node is black in the middle of the scan, then generally that’s going to be cancerous.’ We were both looking at the screen and you could see a football-like shape.” His heart sank when he saw the results, remembering: “I looked in the middle and thought, ‘S**t, it’s black.’ I said, ‘It’s not great, is it? ‘ And he said, ‘No. It’s not great. But let’s get inside there and take some out and get them tested'”. After undergoing rigorous treatment that included aggressive surgery and radiotherapy, David was initially given the all-clear from cancer. Tragically, just eight months later, a regular scan uncovered that the disease had aggressively resurfaced, spreading to his liver, lungs, and spine. “I thought that was me done,” he admits, facing grim prospects. But hope flickered with the availability of an innovative immunotherapy drug known for its efficacy in melanoma cases. “What this treatment does is, it takes the brakes off your immune system and allows your body to spot and fight cancer cells. Melanoma is one of the first cancers where this drug was effective. It doesn’t work on every cancer. “I think my doctor said there was a 50/50 chance of having a reaction to the drug, and even less of a chance of getting a full remission. But it was about living with cancer. There was never talk of it curing me.”
In his fight against this relentless enemy, David’s routine became a series of hospital visitseach session, delivered intravenously, spanned up to two hours every four weeks, coupled with additional radiotherapy targeting his spine. David’s battle with cancer took a miraculous turn. After trying immunotherapy, he was ecstatic to be declared cancer-free in January, breathing new life into his outlook. Now, embracing every moment with his wife and kids George, 22, Jack, 19, and Grace, 17 David is grateful for the chance to build lasting memories. Looking back on his treatment journey, David recounts: “I was living around scan results. I wasn’t worrying too much about the future. I was about creating memories with my family and that was beautiful. Knowing that you have a limited lifespan and knowing that every day matters.” Keen on helping others prevent skin cancer, particularly on the scalp, David advises: “If you can put sun cream on your crown, then brilliant,” and encourages protection by any means “But if you’re sitting around the pool, or even just going to the shops, protect your scalp as much as possible and stick a bloody hat on.” In a heartwarming gesture last year, David raised a staggering £50,000 for Addenbrooke’s Hospital, expressing his gratitude on their Facebook page: “Even now, I can’t quite believe it. I had stage 4 cancer in my lungs, spine, liver, neck and head; and now it’s all gone! I’m told that my chances are good, and it’ll stay away. And that’s all down to the development of new treatments to fight cancer.” “You could help other people survive cancer too perhaps even people close to you. All it takes is a regular donation to support ongoing research work at Addenbrooke’s. Please, do something amazing today, help the next ground-breaking research get started.” Melanoma Focus has a free and confidential helpline for anyone with questions about melanoma: 0808 801 0777Story SavedYou can find this story in  My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.Follow OK! MagazineFacebookTwitterCommentMore OnHealth
